Tears of The Son
by IyanaAri
Summary: Liason story. Elizabeth finds Jason close to death in the snow and both of their lives change dramatically. Mostly Liason, but there are other characters and couples.
1. Chapter 1

**Synopsis:** I took the events of the day Elizabeth found Jason in the snow and changed them. This is mostly a Liason story but other characters will have their own side stories as well. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters, I have no affiliation with Disney, General Hospital of or the actors. No copyright infringement intended.

**Tears of the Son**

It was cold, bitterly so. Just when the snow had begun to brown with the frozen ground beneath it, a new burst of weather would come along and bring with it; a fresh blanket of wintery white snow.

Winter was not Elizabeth Webber's favorite season, she disliked the snow for many reasons, some she could not recall. Still, her artistic eye was not blind to the aesthetic beauty of the season.

The bare branched trees that seemed to reach out into the air like claws grasping for something to hold on to. The white peaked houses with their smoking chimneys that looked like they had been plucked directly from a children's book. The picturesque view of children riding sleds and snow-boards down hills of stark white. Even in her distaste for the cold weather, she could not deny its appeal.

Elizabeth's steps were measured as she walked over the freshly fallen snow, leaving soft impressions of her trek to the boxcar as she went. The downy snow was quiet beneath her booted feet, granting her silence. There was no sound to hear but her breathing. The scarf she wore, wrapped tight around her neck, was no match against the strong gusts of icy wind that found its way through the woolen covering and pierced her skin.

She could see the old boxcar in the distance and she smiled, despite the biting wind. Remembrance of the time she had spent with Lucky in the rickety old railway car brought deep-rooted emotion to her eyes. She blinked back the tears, desperate to get through the day without crying. It was a promise she had made to herself; for this day to be the first one since Lucky's death that she made it through without shedding a single tear. So far she was doing well and she wouldn't ruin her progress by becoming emotional now.

Elizabeth worked her way through the sparse forested area, coming out just feet away from where the boxcar stood alone against the snowy backdrop. Her chest tightened at the sight. Unable to look upon it any longer, she dropped her eyes. As her gaze fell she spotted a a body lying in the snow. Lean, broad, covered in leather. A man.

She became alerted immediately, thoughts of the boxcar rushed from her mind and she rushed over to where the figure was sprawled unceremoniously against icy crystals. She did not hesitate dropping to her knees to offer her assistance. There was only a second of apprehension, right before she turned the body from stomach to back, but she fought passed it and shoved the man over.

She gasped, first- at the blood that was pooled on the snowy ground; bright crimson against stark white, second- at the face of the man. "Jason." Her voice was lost in the cold wind. Panic rose in her. "Jason," she said again, this time louder.

Hoovering above him, Elizabeth yanked on his leather jacket, desperate to rouse him, desperate for a response. When none came, she whimpered low in her throat. The hot sting of tears pressed behind her eyes. She tried to blink them away but they would not be diffused, they spilled from her tightly shut lids. She shook her head, trying to clear it, trying to think straight. She had to think straight.

Her fingers skittered up his jacket to the crook of his neck, he was deathly cold. She ignored the sick feeling of dread that twisted in her stomach as she pressed two fingers against his pulse point. Staying perfectly still, she waited to feel-

There it was!

A pulse. Weak. Barely a beat; but there all the same.

Now she needed to get help. She looked helplessly around, knowing that they were at least a mile from any sign of life. But she could run- she _would_ run. Without another seconds delay, Elizabeth shot to her feet. She stripped herself of her coat and covered Jason with it. She yanked her wool scarf off, lifting his head in the crook of her arm, she wrapped it around his neck.

"I'll be back," she whispered in his ear. "I promise that I'll be back." Elizabeth set away from him, running back in the direction she had come.

* * *

Elizabeth stepped on the tips of her toes, trying to look over the medical staff at work on Jason.

She had run faster than she thought herself capable. Straight into town, stopping at the first gas station she came to. She knew that she looked crazy when she burst through the doors; coatless, without a scarf, blood on her hands. It was a wonder that the clerk didn't call the police on her. 

"Let's lift him." Elizabeth heard one of the many EMT's say. 

There was a shifting of bodies and Elizabeth was finally able to get a glimpse of Jason. One man at his arms, one- his middle, and the last- at his legs; lifted Jason's lifeless body onto the stretcher and hauled it up and into one of the two ambulances.

She wasn't quite sure why two had shown up for one person. Maybe they thought that she might have needed assistance as well. The only thing Elizabeth had been in need of at the time was heat. The Clerk at the gas station, Suzie was her name, had given Elizabeth an old fleece coat from the lost and found bin. It smelled of must but it was some protection against the cold.

One door to the ambulance shut and Elizabeth pushed her way past the gawkers who had accumulated with the sirens. Like moths to a flame.

"Wait!" She called out, rushing forward. 

A tall dark haired EMT's turned, eyeing her peculiarly. "What is it, miss?" 

"I found him," she said, not knowing what else to.

The EMT, whose badge read: John, nodded. "Good job, getting help the way you did. It probably saved his life."

Relief. That was what she felt, relief. "So he will be okay?"

"Honestly, miss," John said quietly, lowering his head so as not to be heard, "I have no idea. But he's alive now. More time out here in this freezing weather and . . . "

"I understand," Elizabeth replied, her voice raspy. From screaming for help, she thought. 

The second door to the ambulance slammed, jolting Elizabeth. "May I ride with him?" she inquired, hopefully. Jason shouldn't be alone.

"Are you family," John asked, his tone becoming hurried. "Then, no," he finished at her silence. 

The ambulance raced off in a glory of blue and red lights and sirens blaring.

"They're taking him to General Hospital. I know the police are going to want to question you about what happened here, but I can give you a ride to the hospital and they can do it there." John said.

Elizabeth couldn't seem to peel her eyes from the speeding ambulance. She didn't register what John was telling her. The light brush of a hand on her back brought her out of her daze. She dragged her eyes away from the retreating ambulance up to John's dark brown stare. 

"Do you want a ride to the hospital?" he asked.

Mechanically, Elizabeth nodded.

* * *

Sonny Corinthos thumbed through the file that had just been delivered to his house by way of courier as he thought about the events of the previous night.

Sleeping with Carly was probably the lowest thing he could have done, but what was worse was that he didn't regret it. Jason needed to see just what type of woman Carly was, the type that would sleep with his best friend without giving Jason a second thought. It was better that Jason see that now than to be hurt by that harsh reality later.

Sonny pushed the papers aside. 

All of Jason's interaction with Carly could now be kept minimal, dealing only with Michael. That would ensure that Jason was on his mark when it came to doing his job. Without the dramatic distractions of Carly, Jason could focus all of his attention on the business. If Jason wished for more with a woman then he could find that in a random one night stand.

Distractions were fatal, in this business. The least Jason had the better.

* * *

The police questioning was finally over. After Elizabeth told them repeatedly she had no idea what happened to Jason before she found him by the boxcar, They stopped the questioning and handed her a card, instructing her to call the number on it if she remembered anything else. Elizabeth folded the card and stuck it in the pocket of her jeans, letting them know she would.

Now she waited, warming her hands on the hot cup of coffee that she nursed between bone chilled fingers. From time to time she would sip the coffee for extra warmth, but for the most part she just held it there while she thought of Jason.

No one had given her any news on him. They would only release his status to his family, so Elizabeth waited in limbo, not knowing if he was alive or not, hoping that the Quartermaine's would hurry up and get there.

She wondered if Sonny or Carly knew about Jason and figured that they didn't. If they did then they would be here. It was probably better that they hadn't found out yet, she could only imagine the scene that would happen if the Quartermaine's and Sonny and Carly all ended up in the tiny waiting room at the same time.

"Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth turned to her friend, Emily's voice. She placed the cup of coffee on a side table and stood. "Em-"

"How is Jason?" Emily asked in a rush, her eyes wide and scared.

"I don't know. They will only let family know of his condition." Elizabeth motioned for Emily to sit. Emily shook her head, and wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

Elizabeth remained where she was standing, ready to offer any support she could.

A loud rumble of voices brought her attention to the swarm of people walking hurriedly in their direction. Elizabeth recognized Monica and knew that it was Jason's family. A flurry of bodies rushed into the waiting area. Alan Quartermaine pulled Emily into a hug.

"How is he?" Monica asked a passing nurse.

"Who is the patient, Dr. Quartermaine?" The nurse asked.

Monica looked at her in shock. "My son. Jason Morgan," Monica informed with a scoff.

The nurses' cheeks flamed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"Enough of that!" Edward Quartermaine bitterly cut her off, stepping forward. "Out with it. How is he?"

The nurse fumbled nervously with the charts in her hands. "I'll go get a doctor for you," she said then moved away before any other inquiries could be made.

"What kind of incompetent hospital is this?" Edward asked to no one in particular.

"Grandfather," Emily said calmly.

Her softly spoken words seemed to ease the old man, his face relaxed as he heaved a sigh. But then his hard eyes landed on Elizabeth, narrowing in question.

Elizabeth cleared her throat to speak-

"Who are you?" Edward asked, ill-tempered. His bushy, gray brows were drawn tight over weathered amber eyes.

"One of my friends," Emily said.

Elizabeth took a small step forward. "I'm Elizabeth. I found Jason."

There was a unison gasp and all eyes landed on her. Elizabeth backed up a step, suddenly self conscious of her disheveled appearance. She licked her lips and ran a hand over wild curls.

"You?" Another woman asked, pushing through the family to come and stand directly in front of Elizabeth. "Where was he?" She pried.

Everyone was looking at her expectantly, taking in her dress. Elizabeth smoothed a hand over the old, musty fleece coat and wanted to run away. "By the old boxcar's. . . in the snow."

"What did he look like when you saw him?" She continued in her questioning.

_Dead_. "Not . . . not good. He was bleeding. Hurt somewhere in his middle, I couldn't see the exact location."

"Was he alive?" The questions kept on coming.

Elizabeth motioned to her neck, "He had a weak pulse."

"What-"

"By God, Tracy, let the girl breathe."

Elizabeth looked thankfully to Alan Quartermaine, who had stopped the inquisition.

Tracy threw a hand up and turned away, her hair flipping in the air with the move. She said something to Edward and he said something back to her, then all of the Quartermaine's were talking loudly, at each other's throats. 

Elizabeth watched, stunned that a family could be so separate at a moment when they should all be pulling together. A flash of white caught of her eye and she turned just as a doctor came into the waiting room. 

A hush fell over the Quartermaine's at the doctors arrival.

"Dr. Jones," Monica said in terse greeting. "How is Jason?"

"At this moment, he's stable. There were two gunshot wounds both on his right side. One bullet entered and exited just below his ribs without hitting any vital organs or nerves. The other entered his right shoulder and was lodged there. We were able to remove it but there is no way to know yet how much damage it caused."

"Oh, God." Monica looked faint and Alan helped her to a chair.

"Is there more?" Alan asked after his wife was settled.

Tony nodded once. "Jason did suffer a great deal of blood loss in which a transfusion was required. And he is suffering from hypothermia, but we are working right now to get his body temperature back up."

Emily sat down next to her mother and clasped her hand around Monica's. 

Tony Jones cleared his throat. "There's more," Tony began, his voice grave. "There is a contusion on the right side of his head, along his temple. It looks as though he suffered a blow, we don't know if it was from his fall to the ground or if it happened prior to that, but he will need a CAT Scan to ensure that no internal damage, such as blood clots or skull fracture, have been caused."

"I see," Alan said after the doctor had given them all of the news.

"It's best to keep hopeful in these situations. Jason is young and strong. He's been through much worse."

The room was in silent agreement.

"I will let you know as soon as he's out from the CAT Scan. He should be able to take visitors then." Tony smiled faintly at the family then turned and left the waiting room.

"Looks like it will be a long day," Tracy said, plopping down into a stiff metal chair.

Elizabeth looked away from Jason's family, her heart in her throat. Jason had come to be someone she could talk to when there was no one else. He'd helped her out of a jam or two and offered her rides on his bike where she was able to lose herself and just be. He had been her savior in a lot of ways, there for her when no one else knew how to be. 

She thought in bittersweet memory about the previous night; Jason dancing with her in place of Lucky. He had done that to make her feel better, to make her feel whole, and now he was suffering.

She glanced up, her eyes traveling over all of the fretful faces, worried and anxious, waiting on word about their son, brother, grandson, nephew. Jason needed to be okay, not just for them but for her as well.

* * *

Elizabeth returned to General Hospital after a going home 'to get some rest' as Emily called it. She hadn't been able to rest but she did shower and put on clean clean clothes. After poking at a bowl of microwavable chicken pasta she pulled on a coat and bundled down in a scarf and gloves and set out for the hospital to check on Jason's condition.

When she left the hospital, he hadn't gone in for the CAT Scan but that had been hours ago. She was sure that he was out by now. She walked into the waiting area and saw Emily awkwardly curled up in a chair. 

"How did it go?" Elizabeth asked taking the chair next to Emily.

Emily dropped her feet to the ground and stared blankly at Elizabeth. Her eyes were puffy and red rimmed. "They found a blood clot and had to take him into emergency surgery."

Elizabeth felt her own eyes water. "Is he in surgery now?" she scratched out.

"Yes," Emily nodded. "They are going to attempt to remove the pressure it's causing on his brain, but there are _risks_."

Elizabeth went rigid at Emily's last word. Of course there were risks, there were always risks, but brain surgery . . . Elizabeth knew enough about medical procedures to know that anything could go wrong and Jason would never be the same.

"Everyone left," Emily said absently. "They're all are wandering around trying to find a way to deal with it. I-I . . . " she broke off. 

Elizabeth grabbed her friend's hand, squeezing reassuringly at the reappearance of tears in her eyes. "It will be okay, Emily." She hoped that it sounded more convincing than it felt.

* * *

The first thing Jason realized when he came to was that he was alive. The second realization was that he was in a great deal of pain; his whole right side was on fire, racked with inconceivable throbbing. 

He attempted to open his eyes but found he couldn't. Panicked, he attempted to lift his right hand to his face, a flash of pain ran down his side at the attempt and he found that his arm wouldn't move. He tried his left and was able to raise it a little but it became quickly weak and dropped heavily back down. 

Jason opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He tried again, nothing. Agitated, his breathing became erratic. Beeping sounded around him and then noise, voices, above him, beside him. Feeling, poking, prodding.

"Mr. Morgan? Jason, can you hear me?"

He tried to answer, no sound. 

_Yes I can hear you._ But it was only a thought, what he wanted to say. The words died in his throat. Dissipated away before they ever formed. 

"Jason, I'm going to remove the tape from your eyes, try to stay still."

Jason thrashed away from the touch of fingers on his face.

"Doctor, does he need to be restrained?" 

"No. He doesn't seem to be able to move his arms."

"Jason, do you hear me? Stay calm, I'm going to remove the tape from your eyes so that you can open them."

Jason forced himself to relax. There was a slight pull on each lid then he was slowly able to open his eyes. He blinked hard, his eyes adjusting to his surroundings. Immediately, he saw that he was in a hospital; the bright lights, the nurses in scrubs, the doctor leaning over him. 

"Welcome back to the land of the living," The doctor said with a slow smile. "How does it feel?"

Jason tried to speak, he strained to answer. With no success he shut his eyes. _Feels like Hell_.

**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Tears of the Sun

**Synopsis:** I took the events of the day that Elizabeth found Jason in the snow and changed them and the fall out. This story is mostly Liason but other characters will have their own side stories as well. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. I have no affiliation with Disney, General Hospital or the actors. No copyright infringement intended. Grace Colorado is a town of my own imaginings. Harmony Grace is a hospital I made up.

**Chapter 2**

_Grace Colorado, Two months later . . . _

Elizabeth sat on the bed that was just becoming familiar to her. She was dressed in white pants and a comfortable white turtleneck but she felt confined. Upon her mother's insistence she had left her face plain, free of makeup. Her dark hair was tied back into a severe ponytail. She should have been downstairs ten minutes ago but she had not been able to bring herself to do so. 

From her stiff position on the bed she stared out of her bedroom window. White capped mountains in the distance created a solid, remote background that made her feel more lost inside than she thought possible. She curled her bare toes into the soft, warm carpeting that covered her bedroom and let out a small sigh.

Her life had changed dramatically without any notice to her. She just woke up one day, pulled on her robe the same way she always did, went downstairs for a bowl of cereal and found her parents sitting on one of her grandmother's couches. 

They had come to take her home.

Elizabeth had refused. She was eighteen after all, and was old enough to make her own decisions. Her parents took that bitter pill but threw two more at her: Lucky and Jason. Elizabeth thought she would drop to her knees on the spot. The fact that her parents would use two people that Elizabeth had lost to get their way did not come as a surprise to her. But the way that they brought them up so carelessly, as if they never existed- it cut her to the bone. 

When she still refused, her grandmother had intervened. Audrey thought it was best. Port Charles had brought Elizabeth nothing but pain, her grandmother reasoned, Colorado would be better.

Even that had not convinced Elizabeth. It wasn't until Elizabeth's mother admitted the real truth of their visit that Elizabeth dropped down to the couch and listlessly agreed. Her mother had cancer, she could die. Her father needed her help. How could she say no to that?

Elizabeth looked down at the rolled pair of socks in her hand. Honestly, there had been nothing left for her in Port Charles. A little, drafty art studio, classes at PCU, other than that . . . She didn't even have her friendship with Emily. After Jason died, Emily became distant. Elizabeth hadn't known how to comfort her friend, not when she couldn't stop thinking that it was somehow her fault that it happened.

A lump swelled in her chest, tightening hotly. 

She blamed herself. She should have never asked Jason to stay and dance with her, it was selfish and if she hadn't then he might not have run into the trouble he had. She should not have stopped at Kelly's for breakfast that morning; she would have made it to the boxcar sooner. She should have run faster for help, screamed louder. She should have prayed. She had forgot to pray.

She wiped the wetness from her cheeks profusely then pulled her socks on and slid her feet into a pair of white rubber clogs.

With her first college semester over, her father had thought it best that Elizabeth leave with them immediately. She could enroll in school in Grace Colorado as soon as they arrived. Of course she would miss the Spring quarter but she could make the summer. Upon her arrival in Grace, Elizabeth did just that. She went down to the community college and registered for summer courses. But that left her with the rest of the winter and spring with nothing to do.

That was when her father suggested that Elizabeth should volunteer at the Harmony Grace, the local hospital.

Her gaze was fixed on a single-out of the hundreds- tiny rose, inlayed in the pale pink wallpaper on her walls when her father walked in. Elizabeth turned her head, her eyes meeting his smile. She attempted to mimic her dad's mood, but failed; her smile turning down at one corner.

"Are you ready, Elizabeth?" Jeff Webber moved into the room and Elizabeth noted that he was holding material in his hand. His long fingers splayed tenderly over a small folded bundle of red and white. "For you," He informed her as he took a place on the bed next to her.

Elizabeth opened her hands and her dad handed her the material. With question, Elizabeth unfolded it and frowned.

"A candy striper apron," he said.

"Oh." That was all Elizabeth could manage at the moment. She didn't know what she thought the material had been, but her father had been holding it so dear, Elizabeth had expected something more.

Jeff patted Elizabeth's knee. "I've had this waiting for you for so long now. I always hoped that you would one day come to need it."

"Dad," Elizabeth began. She did not want him getting his hopes up about this volunteer work. Elizabeth thought she had made it clear that she did not wish to go into the medical profession like the rest of her family had.

"I know, Elizabeth," he said quickly, as though she knew exactly what she had been thinking. "But I can't help my excitement in this one little thing. At least give me that." Jeff gave her knee one last squeeze and stood up.

Elizabeth looked down at the candy striper apron in her hands. She forced her mouth to turn up in a smile, "Thank you," she said quietly before her father left the room.

* * *

Elizabeth's first day as a candy striper at Harmony Grace Hospital had been uneventful. It began with being introduced to the two other volunteers who she would be working with. Both were women a few years older than Elizabeth's eighteen years and actually interested in medicine. 

From there they were taken on a tour of the small hospital that seemed to drag on for hours. While the other ladies found interest in each destination and minor detail and hung on every mundane, repetitive word their tour guide said, Elizabeth battled the memories that the hospital lit in her.

As they passed a waiting room where a group of people sat gathered, waiting on word of a family member, presumably, Elizabeth felt a roiling of her insides. The picture it painted reminded her of how the Quatermaine's had been gathered when Monica and Alan came back with the grave news. She was vaguely aware of the tour guide's words as she stood transfixed. 

She fell behind the pace of the others, reliving the day that she waited in the hospital for word on Jason. Hopeful that he would be fine, that the surgery would go well. All in vain.

"I asked if you were feeling all right, Miss Webber."

Elizabeth snapped her head toward the voice. "Yes," she said hollowly. 

"May we continue on with the tour, then?" 

It was then that Elizabeth noticed the impatient stares of the three people waiting on her. She felt silly, embarrassed by her actions or lack there of. "Of course," she answered, feeling her cheeks heat.

"Good." The tour guide turned on her rubber soled heel and they all continued forward.

* * *

_Port Charles, New York_

Emily Bowen Quartermaine was in a mess of sorts and to her total discredit she could not bring herself to care.

Nothing was right. Her life had taken a one hundred eighty-degree turn and she found herself back in the lowest, seediest sides of town, digging into her designer bag for cash to pay a dealer so that she could get a fix and fall into a blank oblivion. 

Her hand withdrew from her purse, fifty dollars enclosed in fingers that shook, not from nerves but from withdrawal. She handed the bill to the guy in front of her. He reached out, his fingers skimming hers before he caught her hand in his and yanked her forward. Emily squeaked in protest as he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

The bill in her hand crumpled as her hands balled in fists and she pushed at his chest. He held her still, catching her hand and prying the fifty from her tight fingers. Then just as fast as she was in his arms, he had let her go, his attention on the money now in his grip. He smiled, a slow curving twist of his cruel mouth, dug into his pocket and pulled out the small paper packages Emily had been waiting for.

Her breath hitched at the sight of them, adrenaline coursing through her veins. She could almost feel it, the slow creep of the drug in her body, helping her to forget everything. She reached out and snatched her purchase from his hand, clutching them in her grasp. The dealer frowned at her and she turned away and rushed to her car, her heels scratching against the rough ground of the sodden alley beneath her feet.

* * *

By the end of the tour Elizabeth was close to dying of boredom. This was a bad idea. She could be painting, or at least trying. The truth was that she hadn't been able to paint in weeks. But she would much rather be staring at a blank canvas than walking the desolate halls of Harmony Grace. 

She shoved her hands into the pockets of her red and white striped apron as they came to the last stop of their tour. The psych-ward. They would be required on occasion to help out at the nurse's station at this wing of the hospital and they needed to be familiar with the nurses, orderlies and patients.

It was imperative, said the tour guide, that they know how to act and react towards the wards patients. Many of the patients in this area of the hospital were volatile and could be a danger to themselves and the staff, safety of both the patients and staff was paramount. 

Elizabeth half listened to the droning of their guide while her eyes traveled over the patients. Most of them were sitting docilely. Some stared out at nothing, a few picked at their clothing and hair. There was one man who stood with his face in a corner as though he was being punished with a time-out. 

Elizabeth noticed two orderlies dressed in white uniforms standing on either side of the room, arms crossed, blending into the walls they stood against. Unassuming and nonthreatening. But it was something about them that told Elizabeth that under their carefully practiced stance they were waiting, anticipating one of the patients to step out of line.

"If you all will walk this way . . . " 

Elizabeth pulled her eyes away from the sullen room and fell into step behind the other stripers as they continued down a hallway.

Their guide was pointing at a door, explaining the medicine housed behind it as a door opened in Elizabeth's peripheral. She turned her head in the direction of the movement. A tall, burley orderly walked from the room, behind him; a patient, and behind the patient; another orderly.

Her quick glance allowed only a glimpse of the patient, but it was enough to intrigue her. The way he stood: tall, proud, but with his lowered, hair the color of sun-kissed wheat falling just over his brow.

"Miss Webber, are you not listening again?" Her tour guide asked, clearly irritated.

Elizabeth was turning her attention back to the woman when the patient jerked his head up. She sucked in a gasp at the familiar face and brilliant blue eyes that locked with hers. _Jason_. It could not be. It was impossible. But here he was.

The orderly behind the patient grumbled for him to keep on moving. But the patient-Jason- did not budge. 

"Jason?" Elizabeth asked, turning completely away from the irritated tour guide and equally disgruntled candy stripers. She could not believe that she was asking such an impossible thing. Surely this man was not Jason.

The patient did not speak, but his blue eyes- wild with questions of their own-stared intensely at her.

"Miss Webber!" The tour guide seemed to choke on her name.

"Jason," Elizabeth asked again, ignoring the-now staring-orderlies, and huffs from the women behind her.

"He doesn't talk, miss," the first orderly told her.

"Is his name Jason?" she asked. "Jason Morgan?"

The second orderly shook his head. "No, ma'am. It's not."

Elizabeth kept her eyes locked with the patients. _Not Jason. They told you he is not Jason._

The straight line of the patient's mouth twitched at the corners, almost lifting into a smile. Almost, not quite. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him and his narrowed in response; two dangerous slits that only allowed a glint of his startling blue eyes, hidden under dusky lashes.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, not sure of what she meant to say. The second orderly nudged the patient forward and he removed his gaze from her, dropping his head again as he was shuffled away. Shocked and confused- she brought a hand to her increasingly tightening chest and looked away. Three sets of eyes stared at her as if she had lost her mind. 

She felt as though she had.

* * *

_Jason?_ _Jason Morgan?_

The girl had known who he was. 

Alex, they told him his name was. Alex, they called him repeatedly, but he knew better. He might not remember where he was from, how old he was, who his parents were, if he had any sisters or brothers- but he knew his name was Jason Morgan.

When he came to in the first hospital, the doctor had called him Jason. _"Mr. Morgan? Jason, can you hear me?"_

The doctor had clearly called him that name and it had felt right, the only thing that was real to him in the new world he had woken up in. But after that no one had called him Jason again. Out of nowhere they began to call him Alex, but Alex never fit. It did not feel like the worn glove; Jason did. He had now been referred to as Alex so many times that he began to wonder if he had really heard the doctor call him anything but that. 

But then came Miss Webber.

_Miss Webber. Miss Webber. Miss Webber. _He ran the name over and over in his head trying to work his brain around reason that the name had alerted him. He could not come up with anything. It had been reflexive, a response that came naturally. He heard the name, lifted his head and met the eyes of a girl dressed up like a candy cane. She looked silly in that red and white peppermint sack she wore. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that she knew Jason Morgan. 

At this new knowledge Jason was too anxious to eat. He lifted his left hand and pushed his paper plate away. He looked down at his right arm, his hand resting lifelessly in his lap. He focused hard, trying to get his fingers to move. He gave a dissatisfied grunt when they did not.

"Say something?" One of his assigned orderlies' asked. There were snickers from two other orderlies standing beside him.

"Of course he didn't." Another one replied.

Jason set his teeth. His left hand closed into a tight fist.

"What's the matter, Alex? Cat got your tongue?" That question elicited laughter from all three orderlies. 

Jason tuned them out, searching the cafeteria for any sign of Miss Webber. He did not see her peppermint draped shape anywhere. Dread settled in his stomach as he realized that Miss Webber was probably gone forever, and with her- all knowledge of Jason Morgan.

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary:** AH. Elizabeth finds Jason close to death in the snow and both of their lives change dramatically. Mostly Jason and Elizabeth, but there will be other GH characters and couples.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters, I have no affiliation with Disney, General Hospital or the actors. No copyright infringement intended.

Transcript credit goes to: tvmegasitedotnet and youtubedotcom

Thank you for reading.

**Chapter 3**

"_Would you do something for me?" Elizabeth asked, reaching into the pocket of her Kelly's apron._

"_Sure." Jason answered, turning to follow her with his eyes as she walked over to the old jukebox in the corner._

_Elizabeth jammed a quarter into the machine, chose the song that she knew like the back of her hand and turned. "Dance with me."_

_Jason's arms opened up to her and she leaned into him, into the security and comfort he offered without hesitation. Her fingers gripped his shoulders. His arms closed around her, his hands resting on the small of her back. Elizabeth pressed her head into the warm barrier of his chest. She wanted to get away, needed to and Jason was there, right on cue- offering her the escape she needed . . . _

_The music ended and reality set in. She was dancing with Jason in place of Lucky, using him. She pushed away. "I'm sorry."_

"_No, it's fine."_

"_This is the song that Lucky and I last danced to," she blurted out, anxious to explain. I just thought that maybe if I . . . "_

"_It's okay," Jason assured._

_She should let it go. But she couldn't, she needed to explain. "... If I closed my eyes and leaned against you and didn't think, just listened, that maybe for one minute it would feel like . . . But it didn't." _

_Elizabeth moved passed Jason. Walking to the counter, she rested her arm on a stool. "It never does. Nothing does. Not painting, not going places we used to go or seeing people we used to see. He's gone and nothing makes it- nothing will make him less gone or make the hurt go away. Why do I have to keep learning this over and over again?"_

_Stoically, Jason answered. "Sometimes things are too big to get through all at once. You know, they happen fast but you got to live through them slow."  
_

Elizabeth jolted awake. She shot up in her bed, her breathing erratic. Wet beads trickled down her back. Her night gown was tangled around her, soaked through with sweat. She kicked the overly warm blankets away and left the bed. She pulled the damp gown over her head, tossing it to the floor. The room was cold against her exposed skin, but the chill was a reprieve from the heat of her bed.

She had been tossing and turning all night long, unable to go to sleep and then as soon as she did she dreamed of Jason and the last time she had seen him alive. Her legs began to weaken beneath her and she turned back to the bed, flopping down upon it, finding solace in the way she sank into the soft bedding. She pressed her eyes closed. Behind closed lids she saw the face of the patient, he looked so much like Jason it was hard to convince herself that he wasn't. That it was impossible.

The face was Jason's. The blue eyes were his. The hair was longer, and messy, but it was Jason's.

She had asked about him, the patient, once he was shuffled away. She was told that his name was Alex and he had been at Harmony Grace a month, brought in after suffering brain damage in a car accident. That was all the information she received. When she tried to inquire more, she was sternly taken to task about prying into the lives of the patients. And that was the end of that.

Elizabeth shivered in her naked state. She fell backward onto her pillow and pulled the covers over her body. She could already see the glow of dawn rising behind the snow capped mountains from her window. She closed her eyes, hoping for sleep. But behind her lids she saw Jason's face, calm and stoic. But then the face changed blending into the face of the patient, wild and intimidating. The two faces were so much alike yet so different. How was that possible?

_Because he's not Jason. His name is Alex. _Elizabeth repeated that thought over and over again until she drifted back to sleep. It was the only reasonable explanation.

* * *

Carly Benson quietly entered her son's nursery. She walked to his crib and leaned over it, gazing down at her little boy as he slept. She lightly swept her fingers over his brow and thought about Jason.

God, how she missed him. How she wished that she could take back the night that she'd slept with Sonny. How she wished that Jason hadn't found them. She would never forget the way Jason had looked at her, the pain in his face, the betrayal in his eyes . . . She had been dressed in nothing but Sonny's shirt.

Maybe they were all right: Sonny, A.J., Robin. Maybe she was nothing but a whore; she sure acted like it.

With one hand on her sleeping son's brow she slowly moved the other over her stomach. It was expanding and she could no longer deny the truth. The night she had spent with Sonny had produced a child. In her stupidity she was careless and now in just seven months she would be a mother to another baby.

Maybe it was best that Jason died, she didn't know how she would have been able to face him again if he hadn't.

* * *

It was community time for the patients in the psych-ward. The time of day where they were released from their barren white rooms, and granted access to sit in a small sitting room where they mostly stared at white walls. Up until today Jason hadn't been allowed to take part in this daily ritual, he had been considered too violent. So when the rest of the patients would gather, he would be hauled off by two orderlies and taken to eat. After he ate, he would be forced back into his white room and left alone for the remainder of the day.

But it was a new day at Harmony Grace and Jason was being allowed to free time. His two orderlies led him to the room where the rest of the patients were gathered and set him down at a table by himself. One of the orderlies slid a deck of cards over the table to Jason and they both left, taking their places against the walls.

Jason eyed the deck of cards, his first instinct was to grab and shuffle them, but he kept his left hand firmly placed in his lap next to his useless right one. Before the accident that caused his speech and memory loss along with the loss of the abilities of his right arm, Jason was sure that he would not have hesitated to pick the cards up. But now, with the eyes of the orderlies on him, he wouldn't dare try. It would only give them one more thing to laugh at him about.

Instead he sat in the chair at the table and did what most of the other patients did, stared at the wall.

With his attention focused away from the entrance, he almost missed the arrival of Miss Webber. If it had not been for her ridiculous striped sack, she would have blended in with the rest of the bland surroundings.

Jason felt a rush of rare excitement seeing her. Miss Webber was his key to Jason Morgan. He lifted his eyes to her face as she walked further into the room. Her eyes caught his for just a second. Jason saw recognition flash in her blue gaze before she quickly lowered her eyes and turned her attention to another girl wearing stripes.

He kept his eyes on her, refusing to look away, silently hoping that she would make her way over to where he sat. He could hear the rapid pace of his heart pounding in his ears. The closer she got to him the more anxious he became. Her eyes lifted hesitantly to meet his again. He kept his eyes locked with hers for as long as she permitted, noticing that she almost shrank into herself as he stared at her. She fidgeted on her feet and appeared ready to jump out of her skin. He should have cared that he made her feel that way but he didn't. He couldn't find it in himself to care about anyone.

The director of the ward, Tabitha, tapped her on the shoulder and pointed in his direction. Something was said, too low for him to hear, and then Miss Webber shook her head, adamantly refusing something. Jason looked away, knowing that the refusal had everything to do with him. He felt a spark of anger rise inside of him, its source: Miss Webber. What did she think that he would do to her? What _could_ he do to her with all of the muscle standing around waiting for him to slip up? All he wanted from her was answers, nothing more. He just wanted to know who Jason Morgan was.

From the corner of his eye he saw Tabitha tell Miss Webber something else. She looked as though she wanted to protest but closed her mouth and turned toward him. Slowly she started in his direction.

* * *

Elizabeth felt like she was walking to the guillotine as she made her way to Alex. She didn't want to assist him with anything, she didn't want to keep his company, she didn't want to be in the position where those deathly, cold eyes could look upon her. She tried to get out of it but the director, felt that Alex's interest in her was a good thing, that maybe she could get through to him in some way. Maybe he would respond to her.

She looked down at her feet as she walked over to the table where he was seated, afraid to meet his eyes again. It wasn't until she reached the table that she lifted her gaze a little. His eyes were intense, bright, yet dark. He stared at her, unmoving. She swallowed past the ever growing lump in her throat. The resemblance of Alex to Jason was uncanny and scary. Elizabeth felt as thought she was looking at a dead man. She watched him lift his left hand and tap one long finger on the card deck in front of him.

Elizabeth forced herself to sit down, taking the chair across from him. His brows lifted in question and she rattled off a nervous introduction. "Hi Alex, I'm Elizabeth. I'll be . . . " she trailed off, her eyes falling to the deck of cards then back up to his. "I'll be playing cards with you today."

The slight lift of his mouth was all the response she received.

"Would you like to begin?" she asked reaching out for the cards, her fingers reached the deck and his hand clamped down over hers. She lifted her eyes to his. He stared at her expectantly, like he was waiting on news from her. She pulled her hand away and looked helplessly to Tabitha who was in a conversation with an orderly.

Alex grunted impatiently and when she turned back he held the stack of cards in his hand, extended out to her. With a deep, determined breath Elizabeth took them from his hand.

As she shuffled the cards she asked, "What card games do you like to play?" It wasn't until after the question had been asked that she realized what a mistake she had made. Alex could not speak so how did she expect him to answer her. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Do you like to play cards?" she ammended.

He nodded once in response.

"Tonk?" She waited for a response, when none came she tried again "Spades?" Nothing. "Go Fish?" When he still did not respond, she gave up. Gathering the shuffled cards she slid them back to him. "You show me."

His eyes hardened at the offering, his lips disappearing into a straight line. He shook his head almost violently, messy locks of hair falling into his eyes, and looked down at the cards.

"You won't even try?" Elizabeth asked, becoming increasingly exasperated with him. She hated being placed in this position. It was like she was interacting with a dead man. A chill crept up her spine and she shivered despite her warm turtleneck.

Without looking at her Alex used his left hand to separate the deck, lining seven cards out in front of him, leaving one face up. Elizabeth followed his motions until the game he decided on came to her.

"Solitaire," she said in quiet realization.

Other than the restless tick of his hard set jaw there was no answer.

Elizabeth leaned back in the chair, her nerves strained. Her fingers gripped the seat of the metal chair until the point of pain. Here she was being forced to keep the company of a man who eerily resembled her dead friend and he wanted nothing more to do with her than she did with him. He even chose a card game that could be played with only **one** person. His message couldn't be any clearer if he yelled it at her; _Go away_.

* * *

Jason refused to meet Miss Webber's eyes again. Her fear of him was tangible and it angered him more than he let on. He wanted nothing from her but information on Jason Morgan. He didn't want her company, her false concern, her scared little girl glances at him.

He tried to form the words to tell her to 'go away.' Each time he thought he had found the voice to say it the words would die on his tongue before he opened his mouth. It frustrated him that he couldn't get rid of her without acting out. His only other option would be pushing away from the table and storming off, but that would only serve to get his newly gained privileges taken away. So he kept his eyes down, focused solely on his card game.

He had been a fool to think that he could get info out of her. He couldn't even talk and she couldn't stand to look at him. _Miss Webber. Elizabeth Webber_. Jason's lips curled in distaste, he stared down at the cards, unable to do anything more than that. He was slowly losing his will and he had foolishly thought that somehow she could help him before he became completely lost. But she was nothing more than a mousey little girl, afraid of her own shadow. Scared of him, sitting across the table on the edge of her seat like a tiny bird in the presence of a big cat.

In his anger an idea came to Jason. She was afraid of him for nothing, he thought bitterly. At least he could give her a reason to be.

At the thought, Jason shot up from the table, his chair scraping the floor and falling backward. He picked up the cards and flung them across the table at her, they slid away, spreading out over the surface, some falling over the sides and into her lap. Elizabeth gasped and scurried from her chair. She backed up warily, like she expected him to pounce. She looked at him in disbelief, and he had a flash of something, a vision, a memory...

"_You're the one on the bike with me. You show me the rush you get when the winds on your face and the world is flashing by."_

It was quick, the memory fleeting. As soon as it had come, it was gone but he knew it was real, just like he knew the person who said it was right in front of him. _Elizabeth._

He took a step toward her. Her eyes went wide with panic but he pressed on but before he could get close enough to touch her both of his arms were being restrained and he was being dragged away.

Jason fought against the orderlies, yanking forward, using all of his weight to get back to her but they were stronger and with only one useful arm he stood no chance.

_Elizabeth_. He tried to say her name, he wanted to apologize for the way he acted, assure her that he would never hurt her. That he remembered her, even if it was only one small slice of a moment in his life with her, he remembered. But he was being hauled off, like an animal gone mad, and she was staring at him, frightened.

* * *

Elizabeth leaned over a sink, clinging to the porcelain like a life line. She turned on the faucet and cupped her hands under the cold water, then brought the water to her face with a splash. The coolness soothed her heated skin. She took in her reflection as she turned the water off. She looked like the living dead. Her face was pale, her lips bloodless. Strands of hair had sprung free from her ponytail and were dancing wildly around her face. She tried, with shaky hands to tame her unruly hair but the curls were in full rebellion. With a hopeless sigh she gave up, dropping her arms back to her sides.

She left the restroom and headed straight for the phones. When she reached a payphone she dropped a quarter in and dialed a familiar number. She nervously curled the cord around her finger and bit her bottom lip as she waited for an answer.

"_Quartermaine residence."_

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Hello, is Emily in."

"_No, she's not. Would you like to leave a message?"_

For a moment Elizabeth thought that she should ask for one of the other Quartermaine's. They might be interested to know that there was a man in Colorado that looked exactly like their son. _But he's not_. She reminded herself. It would only cause them more heartache.

"No. No message." Elizabeth hung up the phone.

* * *

Jason sat on the hard mattress of his bed. His arms were bound tightly behind him, restrained in a straight jacket. He stood up from the bed, moving slowly due to the linked chains at his ankles, over to the single, small window of his room. It was only wide enough to let light in but he could still look out and get a glimpse at life beyond his prison. Reaching the window, he pressed his forehead to the chilled windowpane and stared out through the slightly obscure glass. His thoughts were centered on Elizabeth, replaying his vision of her over in his head, hoping to find more memories. So far nothing came to him, but at least he had that small bit of hope.

His hopeful mood dimmed as he remembered how Elizabeth had looked at him, horrified by his actions. It was likely that he would never see her again, and if by chance he did, she would not come anywhere near him.

He turned away from the window with a silent promise: He _would_ make things right with Elizabeth, he had to, his life as Jason Morgan depended on it.

**To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary:** AH. Elizabeth finds Jason close to death in the snow and both of their lives change dramatically. Mostly Jason and Elizabeth, but there will be other GH characters and couples.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters, I have no affiliation with Disney, General Hospital or the actors. No copyright infringement intended.

Thank you all for the responses.

**Chapter 4**

He was alone. No family. No friends. No one.

It was visitation day in the ward. And while every other patient sat quietly spending time with loved ones, Jason looked bitterly on.

There would be no visitors for him today.

One of his orderlies, David--leader of the pack--let him know as much. Jason had seen the menevolent satisfaction in David's face when he delivered the news. The man had delighted in telling Jason that he would be one of the only patients with no family or friends to visit today.

He wanted Jason to feel the blow.

And just like a lonely person hoping that someone would come for him, he did. It hurt him to the core to know that he would sit alone and watch as everyone around him enjoyed time spent with people who cared about them. He didn't have that, and at this point he had to wonder if he ever had.

Whoever was responsible for putting him in this ward didn't care about him. They never sent him a letter or extra socks and underwear--like the family of the other patients did. A person like that, people like that could have never cared about him. But maybe he hadn't been the type of person that people cared about?

He couldn't remember his past. He had no idea who he was before this place. He didn't know Jason. All he knew was Alex . . . and Elizabeth. Miss Webber.

He had remembered her. Even if for a second, he remembered her. Though he was now beginning to question if the recollection was a true one or a manifestation. Maybe he wanted to know something . . . someone so _badly_ that he made it all up?

"_You're the one on the bike with me. You show me the rush you get when the winds on your face and the world is flashing by."_

But the memory was so clear. So vivid that felt transported to that moment in time whenever the recollection came to him. He tried to cling desperately to it, afraid to let the fondness that the memory invoked drift away and leave him alone once again.

He regretted the way he had treated Elizabeth. She had not been back to the ward since that day. Almost a week had passed, without so much as a glimpse of her. She was afraid of him. And why shouldn't she be? The show he had put on was enough to get him confined to his room for three days. If it had been bad enough for that, it was surely bad enough to scare away a scrap of a girl like Miss Webber.

"No visitors for you today, Alex?"

Jason looked up to find David leering over him. The florescent lights of the meeting room bounced off of his freshly shaved head.

"Since you won't be receiving any guests, we might as well get you back to your room. Wouldn't want you to start acting crazy again and scare the nice people away." David rubbed thoughtfully at his auburn goatee.

Jason quietly stood. His quick, stealthy motion had David taking a step back.

The orderly was a burly guy, but he was no match for Jason on his own. He showed his own fear by backing up the way he had. Jason found a small victory in that.

David motioned to one of his peers. The man left the wall and walked over.

"You need help with The Mute, David?"

Anger heated Jason's chest. That was their new name for him. They used it freely as a way to weaken him, to make him feel inferior. Most of the time it worked.

"Yeah, Gus. Get his other arm," David directed. "He's a strong one."

Jason didn't protest. He went willingly along but not because he wanted to. What he wanted was to tear the whole ward to shreds, and escape the confines of the imprisoning white walls. The only thing keeping him from raging like a madman was the hope that if he acted in the proper manner then maybe Miss Webber would come back.

* * *

She was a weakling, but she hadn't always been. She used to have spunk--too much spunk--and she had been free spirited. Her Grams had complained about that very thing all the time. But now she was . . . meek, a shell of her former self. But who could blame her? After everything she had been through in the last years--from her rape, to losing Lucky and then Jason--even the strongest person would crack.

And she was cracking.

She hadn't been back to the hospital in almost a week. After she returned home the day of the altercation with Alex, she had barricaded herself in her room and refused to come out. Not even her mother, who was ailing more and more each day, had been able to coax Elizabeth from her bed.

She felt like a total failure as she sobbed into her pillow. To her parents' credit they handled her sudden bout of melancholy gently.

In the mornings her mother would come in and open the blinds so that Elizabeth could get a glimpse of the outside world. In the afternoons her father often came in to sit quietly with a cup of coffee while Elizabeth nursed hot coco that he'd made special for her. At night she would take baths, sitting in the water for so long that all of the heat was gone from it and she was shivering before she forced herself to leave the tub.

She was ashamed to admit that she had thought twice about ending it all. While she had sat in the tepid water she thought of how easy it would be to just submerge herself and take a suffocating breath. She had also eyed her razor thinking it a better option than drowning.

She had reasoned her insanity away with thoughts of Lucky and Jason. They were gone now, the only two people in the world that understood her, and she wanted to be with them. The only thing keeping her from turning that dangerous corner was the great sense of guilt that came every time she contemplated it.

How selfish was she? Here her mother was, battling breast cancer, trying to be strong, trying to stay alive, and Elizabeth, perfectly healthy Elizabeth, was considering ending her own life.

She thought, perhaps, that she had been on the verge of some sort of mental collapse for a while and it took the troubling encounter with Alex to finally send her over the edge. Now that she had tipped and tumbled down, found that there was no place lower she could go, Elizabeth had no other choice but to pick herself up and get on with life.

After lacing up a pair of new leather boots her mother had recently gifted her with, Elizabeth shrugged into her parka and started for the door. This was her first day back at the hospital, and while she was wary about going back into the environment that she suspected caused her such great sadness, she could not let herself give up.

"Elizabeth, would you come here a minute?"

Her mother's voice traveled from the kitchen, sidetracking Elizabeth's walk to the door. She pivoted, turning back in the direction of the kitchen. When she entered, she saw her mother sitting at the table, a _Home & Garden_ magazine set before her.

Gloria Webber laced her thin fingers together and gave Elizabeth a weary smile. Elizabeth smiled back, it was not often during her child hood that her mother shared a smile with her. She had always been too busy for such things. But now Gloria was different, her once brisk pace had slowed considerably, her hard demeanor had softened, and her once stern face had become serene.

"You look well today," Gloria said after studying Elizabeth for a long minute.

Elizabeth's smile faded, she knew that she did not look good at all. Even after applying makeup this morning she hadn't been able to add substantial color to her pale pallor or cover the dark circles under her eyes. It was nice that her mother said it but the untruth of it all pained her.

"Thank you," Elizabeth answered, urging her voice past the lump in her throat.

Her mother sighed and placed her palms flat against the table. She looked so small to Elizabeth, nothing like the force of a woman she used to be, but that is what chemotherapy did to a person.

"Are you feeling well?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Much better," Elizabeth answered with more exuberance than she felt. "I think getting back to work at the hospital will do me a world of good." She plastered on a smile that she was sure her mother saw through.

There was an extended silence between them where Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably on her feet and her mother stared at her with all too knowing eyes.

Finally, Gloria looked back to her magazine, her pale fingers gripping at the pages. "Have a good day, Elizabeth," she said not looking up from her reading material.

"You too," Elizabeth offered, leaving the kitchen.

When she made it outside the cold air assailed her. She had been cooped up in the house for so long she'd forgotten just how cold Colorado was. Much colder than Port Charles had ever been. She tightened her scarf around her neck as she rounded the house toward the garage. Her father was standing outside of her car as she approached. Elizabeth noticed the exhaust billowing out from the pipe of her 92 Honda Civic in puffs of white clouds.

"Thanks for warming the car for me," she said, stepping next to her father.

Jeff Webber didn't answer, he simply nodded and looked out over the blankets of white snow around them. Elizabeth had always known her father to be introspective, spending more of his time in medical books and observing life as a silent spectator while it went on around him. He was doing that now, seeing something that she could not.

Elizabeth watched her breath puff out before her mimicking the exhaust of her car. When her father finally spoke it was so softly that she almost didn't hear him.

"I've never known you to be a quitter, Elizabeth."

She inhaled sharply, the cold air biting inside of her nose and throat. She felt exposed, as though her father knew the inner workings of her mind.

Jeff Webber continued speaking just as quietly as he had before. "I know about the patient at the hospital. Tabitha informed me the day it happened."

So he hadn't been talking about her giving up on life, but about the volunteer work. Elizabeth didn't know if she was more ashamed of that or not. Her family lived for medicine. They would never walk away from their job when things got rough. But she had proven herself to be a disappointment to them once again, giving up the way she had.

"I wasn't ready for something like that to happen to me," Elizabeth said. She wondered if she should clue him into the fact that she had been so freaked out over it partially because Alex looked so much like her dead friend, Jason.

"I know that things are strange for you now. Your world has been turned upside down, and it's understandable; your reaction. I also know _you_, and you're not a quitter, Elizabeth."

She pressed her lips together and nodded, unable to say or do anything else.

Her father turned to her for the first time since she reached his side. He looked worn, now that she actually looked at him. The months of dealing with her mother's sickness were weighing heavily on him.

"Tabitha tells me that the patient seems to respond to you in ways he doesn't with other staff members."

Elizabeth's brows rose. "She told me the same thing, but that was before . . . "

"She wants you to try again with the patient," Jeff told her, continuing on as though she hadn't said a thing. "I think you should too," he added.

Elizabeth felt her brows crease in disbelief. She could understand Tabitha, but her father? He couldn't possibly think that was the best thing to do. "I don't understand," she said desperatly seeking a reason for it all. "He reacted violently with me, he threw cards and . . . looked so . . . "

_Wild. Crazy. So much like Jason_. All those thoughts ran through her head.

"That happens, Elizabeth. It's a hospital, even the most docile patients' act violently sometimes. This is no reason to give up."

Elizabeth stiffened. Her father was serious. She looked away from him, unable to face the pleading in his eyes. He didn't want her to give in to defeat, he wanted her to be strong, spunky Elizabeth, who faced the world head on. She wanted to be that too. So bad she wanted to be that Elizabeth again.

She licked her lips, tasting her cherry lip balm. "I'll do it." she said quietly.

"That's my girl." Jeff smiled down at her, hope shining in his eyes.

"I should get going then if I'm going to save the world," Elizabeth replied lightly, trying her best not to betray her real feelings about this new turn of events.

Inside of her car she turned up the radio as far as it could go, her old speakers pushed to the limit. She tried not to focus on the doubt that was swirling in her stomach. She tried not to be afraid. She wanted so desperately to go back to being the Elizabeth of old.

* * *

It was lunch time for him, Jason surmised when the door to his room opened and David entered with one of his buddies behind him. They each grabbed an arm and hauled him up from his bed to his feet. He went along with them as they led him toward the cafeteria.

He was ready for the usual routine of them walking him through the service line where they would put inedible food upon his plate, then place him in a corner by himself while they watched him eat, amused and pleased with themselves.

He was surprised when they released his arms and stepped away. A moment of elation passed over him, followed directly by a feeling of dizzy discontent. What game were they playing with him? He hesitated at the start of the line, oblivious to the fact that he was holding up other patients waiting behind him.

He didn't know what to do. Should he go forward, grab a plate and pick out edible food over the slop the orderlies chose for him, or should he wait? Had they finally granted him some shred of freedom?

The complete uneasiness he felt was enough to make him tilt on his feet. That was when he saw her. Jason's whole body froze as Elizabeth entered his line of vision. He hadn't expected her but there she was, standing timidly before him, dressed in her white clothes and peppermint apron.

Jason looked over his shoulder. David and the other orderly were posted against a wall, watching this all play out with hard grimaces. He turned back to Miss Webber.

She smiled half heartedly at him, and he found himself frowning back at her.

"Hello, Alex," she greeted, her voice a bit high pitched. "I'll be having lunch with you today."

Jason watched in silent confusion as she grabbed two plates and started down the line. He followed, dumbfounded, as she gestured at each pan of food they came to. Realizing that she was asking him what he wanted, he began to shake his head, yes and no at each tray they stopped in front of.

She made his plate with a percision that he hadn't seen before, placing each item on his plate with care. Fried chicken first, and next to it she deposited mashed potatoes without the sludgy gravy that David always added. She spooned green beans next to the potatoes and then placed a roll on top of it all.

Jason was pleased.

When they reached the end of the line, she made her own plate, filling it with lettuce leaves and adding tomatoes and cucumbers. She finished it off by drenching the salad in Italian and Ranch dressings. She then reached for a plate of chocolate cake.

Elizabeth fumbled, trying to balance the three plates. Jason was about to use his good arm to help her, but she positioned her plate in one hand then propped the cake plate on the inside of her forearm, and grabbed his plate with her free hand.

He was fascinated by her.

"Where do you want to sit?" she asked.

Jason blinked at her then looked away, deciding on a table next to a large window.

They took their seats. Elizabeth dealt out the plates. "Do you sit here often?" she asked, forking into her salad.

Jason's eyes followed her movements. She was nervous and trying to hide it. The thought bothered him. He was upset that she was still afraid of him. He would never hurt her. Frustrated, Jason picked his fork up, stabbing it into his potatoes. If Elizabeth noticed his anger, she didn't let on.

"Well do you?" she asked, persistent.

Her eyes met his, they were blue-gray and bleak as the sky on a cold day. Jason put his fork down and shook his head. He eyed the small plastic flowers inside of a vase on the table.

"How about we sit here each day I come? I kinda like this view."

She was staring out of the window when he glanced at her again. He let his eyes travel to where she looked. There was not much to see other than snow-covered land and mountains in the distance.

Jason reached out, too quickly because he made her jump. He ignored her reaction as his hand went to the plastic flowers. He snapped one off at the halfway point and twirled it between his fingers. Elizabeth stared at him, her eyes intent on the flower between his thumb and forefinger.

Slowly, so as not to alert her, he lifted the flower to her face. He watched as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. His fingers swept her cheek, grazing skin as soft as satin. He lingered there for a moment, just staring at her. The way her teeth sunk into her pink lip, the way her lashes cast a dark shadow over her alabaster cheeks . . . Finally, he tucked the plastic stem behind her ear and moved his hand away.

She did not look up at him, her eyes stayed downcast, her cheeks became stained--the color of merlot.

After a full minute with no response, Jason became agitated and looked away from the mouse of a girl, turning his attention back to his plate.

* * *

Elizabeth's whole body was on fire, her cheeks aflame with embarrassment. Why had she not stopped him? She should have, it was not appropriate for her to accept flowers from a patient, even if it was only a bright pink, plastic flower.

She tried to bring her eyes to Alex's but she could not. She felt trapped by him now, his presence large to her small one. When she did find the courage to look up, he wasn't worried about her at all. She had made a big deal out of nothing. Now she really did feel silly.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, Elizabeth mainly picking at the leaves of her salad. Pushing her uneaten plate of food away, she dug into the chocolate cake. She was halfway done before she realized that she hadn't offered Alex any.

She glanced at him. He was watching her intently from under thick sandy lashes. His bright blue eyes, wild yet subdued under heavy lids. She became all too selfly aware and dropped her fork to her plate. Alex grinned at her then; a small lift at the corner of his mouth. Elizabeth felt herself flush again under his attention. She went to push a strand of hair behind her ear and her fingers touched the flower. She had forgotten it was there.

Pulling it from her ear, she studied the tiny gift. "Thank you," she said softly, placing it into the pocket of her candy striper apron.

Alex grunted and looked, away a frown marring his perfect features.

* * *

Night fell over the hospital. Save for the light that shone outside of his door, Jason was submerged in darkness. His good arm was folded behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

Thoughts of Elizabeth Webber ran through his head. Why had he been so upset that she discarded the flower he gave her? She had tried to talk to him the rest of their meal but he refused to respond, not shaking his head yes or no to any of her questions. He could not help the bad mood that came over him when she removed the flower from her ear and put it away. He took it personally.

He took it hard.

What was worse was that David and his minions had witnessed it all. They did not waste time telling him how pathetic he had looked: A mental case like him trying to woo a pretty girl like Miss Webber. They were right, really. What had he been thinking?

One thing was for sure; he would never think it again.

Jason stamped out any and all thoughts about Elizabeth Webber as he closed his eyes for sleep.

* * *

Elizabeth stared thoughtfully at the flower between her fingers. The bright pink petals smiled brightly up at her. Bringing the flower to her nose, she inhaled. It was a silly thing to do being that it was a plastic flower, but she couldn't resist.

She was aware that Alex had become mad with her after she removed the flower from her ear. She would have put it back if not for the orderlies that stared at her accusingly. She was a volunteer at the hospital, she was there to help the patients not accept plastic flowers from them. She felt her cheeks warming at the thought.

Shamelessly, she basked in the feeling that had emanated from her when Alex had tucked the stem behind her ear. It was the closest she had come to intimacy since the night she danced with Jason in Kelly's.

Elizabeth sighed, placing the artificial flower on her night stand. She turned off her lamp and settled into bed, secretly looking forward to tomorrow.

**To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

I apoligize for the delay in posting this.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. No copyright infringement intended.

_Grace, Colorado _

It was another below zero day in Colorado. Elizabeth woke and dressed in a hurry, excited about what this new day might bring. Twice she had to stop herself when her thoughts drifted off to Alex. And Twice she had to wipe the lopsided grin off her face when thinking about him. It was wrong. Plain and simple. She shouldn't feel a lightness in her heart when she thought of him. She shouldn't look at the plastic flower and blush. It was wrong.

After shrugging into her parka she grabbed an apple and headed for the door. Her parents weren't home this morning. Her mother had an appointment at the hospital. Elizabeth was to meet them for lunch in the cafeteria after her mother's session. Lamely, she recalled yesterday's lunch in that very cafeteria and again she pursed her lips to keep from grinning.

Biting into the apple she left the house for outside. For such a cold day there was no wind. The air was still and crisp. She made her way to her car and started it, actually looking forward to her day at work.

--

_Harmony Grace Hospital_

Jason wasn't sure why they had come early this morning to take him from his room. Two orderlies barged in and pulled him from the bed, grabbed his arms and led him out of his room. They took him down a hallway he'd never ventured through before, up a set of back stairs and into an office. After the they deposited him on a couch, they left through the only door, shutting it behind them.

And so he waited. With no clue as to what he was waiting on. Running his hand through his tangled hair, Jason wanted to groan. Except he couldn't make a sound. He didn't know his own voice. He settled for slumping down on the couch and tilting his head back so that it pressed onto the back cushion. He stared at the ceiling, counting the square tiles.

In the back of his mind was Elizabeth. Despite his upset with her from yesterday's lunch, he hoped that they would share that time together again today. Because regardless of how nervous she was around him, Elizabeth was the only person that he felt human around. He didn't want to lose that or his link to his past life. She was his only key now and he refused to give her up.

At that thought, the door to the office opened. Jason straightened on the couch as a woman of middle years walked in with a man twice her age. Jason's attention fixed on the man. His white-gray hair and sharp amber eyes made him a more interesting object of attention. That, and the fact that the man was looking at him also. They held each other's stare, unmoving. Then the man dipped his head, whispering something to the woman. She shook her head and the man nodded his.

Jason looked away. Again he was being treated as though he didn't really exist. Neither woman or old man cared to show him enough respect to speak about him in private.

"Alex," the woman called.

Jason turned his head back, eyeing them both.

The woman smiled warmly. Oddly it loosened him up a little. "I am Doctor Winters, and this is," she said, motioning to the elderly man, "Is a guest, Mr. Forrester. He is here to oversee our session."

Not knowing what else to do, Jason nodded. A session for what, he wondered.

"Good." She smiled again and sat down in a chair across from the couch he was occupying.

Mr. Forrester took a chair that set close to a corner. When he sat, he blended into the shadows, becoming nothing more than a shadow himself. If not for the way the man never dropped his eye's from Jason, Jason would have forgotten about his presence all together.

Dr. Winters cleared her throat, getting Jason's attention. "Now, what I will be doing today is gearing you up for life outside of this hospital."

Jason felt his eyes widen. As long as he had been in this hospital it had never crossed his mind that one day he would be leaving.

"In order to prepare you, we will have to work on your social skills. A speech pathologist will be brought in to help with your speech problems. If you are still unable to communicate verbally, you will be assigned to a sign-language instructor. The use of your arm will be another matter. You may never have full use of it again, but we can get you a physical therapist to help improve range of motion."

Disbelief fell over Jason. Followed by a strong sense of unease. Why had it taken so long for them to offer him help? Why hadn't he be put with a physical trainer directly after he had been injured? Wasn't that how things worked?

It had now been months since he had entered this hospital with no voice and a lame arm and they were just now getting him help?

And what of his memory? Where did that fall into the treatments that they were going to give him, he wanted to ask. He attempted to ask. But like always his voice wouldn't form, his mouth would not move properly, he was unable to. In frustration, Jason curled his fingers into his cotton pants.

"With the proper medical help, Alex, you can be back in the real world in a matter of months."

Jason's head swam with questions as the doctor continued to tick off medical treatments and possibilities. Who was funding this? How could he live in the real world when he had no idea what life was outside of the hospital? Where would he go when he had never heard a word from his family, when he had no idea who his family was, when he had no idea of who he really was?

--

Elizabeth looked around the community room after she entered. She didn't see Jason amongst the other patients. She wanted to ask Tabitha where he was, but thought better of it, instead finding a place at a table of three female patients. Two of the women were crocheting and the other one was playing herself in an intense game of checkers. She was just about to ask the woman if she could play with her when there was a tap on her shoulder.

Tabitha stood over her. "Could you come with me, Elizabeth?" Elizabeth got to her feet and followed Tabitha to the nurses station. When they stopped, Tabitha pulled out a file and handed it to her. "This is all of the information that we have on Alex," she said.

"But isn't this confidential?" she asked, taking the file.

Tabitha inclined her head. "Since you are working closely with him we thought you should be aware of his past. It is always helpful to know a patients medical history. Alex is with the chief of staff right now. Dr. Winters is informing him that he will begin the process of preparing him for life outside of the hospital."

Elizabeth was surprised. She had no idea that Alex's stay would be a short one. She expressed her confusion to Tabitha. "But his family. They never come."

Tabitha's lips drew into a tight line. "His family is gone, Elizabeth. He is an only child and his mother and father died two years ago in a plane crash, leaving him alone. Luckily they were wealthy and Alex inherited the fortune. His money is what will help to get him out of here."

"I had no idea," Elizabeth said, opening the file in her hand. She wanted to know more about Alex. The more she found out about who he was, the easier it was to separate him from Jason.

"Not many people do. For his safety. You see, if someone with the wrong intentions, knew wow much wealth he had, he could be used for it. We never place our patients in that position."

Elizabeth nodded. "I understand."

"I knew you would. So have a look at those and return them here when you're done."

Tabitha left and Elizabeth walked over to an empty chair where she opened the pages on Alex's life.

--

Edward Quartermaine was a shrewd man. He made his own decisions, without much thought of who the outcome might affect. No one countered him, and when his mind was set, it was best to stay out of his way.

These harsh tactics were what allowed him to convince his son and daughter-in-law to fake Jason's death. How he had convinced not only General Hospital to keep mum about Jason, but Harmony Grace Hospital's Chief of Staff to take in his grandson under a false alias. It was also how he was able to enter Jason's session with said Chief of Staff under the guise of a Mr. Forrester.

And it would be how he would give his grandson a new life!

Some would say that his actions were cruel. He could take the ill words as long as the heir to the Quartermaine fortune was out from under the thumb of Michael "Sonny" Corinthos. That man had single handedly ruined their family. He had taken advantage of Jason's vulnerability and played on it. Turning the would be doctor into a monster. A killer.

After seeing the family suffer the past two years over Jason, how could Edward not--when given the chance--take Jason and turn him back into the man he had been destined to be? When Jason woke up with no memory of who he was. Edward knew he had been granted that chance.

Jason had been reborn.

Again.

And this time they would not try to force him into remembering who he used to be. But they would also not allow him to go back to that scum, Corinthos. Edward had quickly made up his mind that night in the hospital. He gathered the family around him and explained to them what would happen.

Oh, there had been arguments and shouts and finger pointing. Emily cried, and at one point he thought Monica would slap him, but as usual, he had prevailed. Jason would be sent away where he could recover and become his own man. The man that Edward knew he was born to be. A doctor, or better yet-- CEO of ELQ Industries.

What the doctors had called a misfortune, Edward had called a miracle. And he would spend the rest of his life thankful for this second chance.

"Are you happy, Mr. Quartermaine?" Lainey Winters asked in annoyance.

She hadn't wanted to bend to his will. She didn't even want to take Jason into her hospital. But after a little financial persuading, the doctor had relented. "I'm just fine," Edward answered. "Just fine. He seems to be doing relatively well."

"He is," Lainey said, dropping into her chair. "I know you were afraid that he would remember you, but I can assure you that he has no previous memories at this point."

Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "And if, no, _when_ he gets them back, will they be memories of his life as Jason Quartermaine or Jason Morgan?"

"That is hard to say. He may gain one or the other. He may even get both back. And there is always the chance that he will only get bits and pieces or none at all. Only time will tell."

"Yes, yes." Edward waved her answer away, thinking of what it would be like to have Jason Quartermaine back. Ah, the possibilities of it all. It would make all of this manipulation well worth it.

Monica and Alan and his dear wife Lila, even Emily. They would see that he had made the right decision. That reminded him. "Jason's mother sent clothes for him." Edward thought about the hospital issued clothing that Jason was wearing and cringed. "He will be able to wear them, won't he?"

Lainey nodded. "As long as they are to code, there will be no problem with him wearing his own clothes."

"Good. And his hair; it's a mess."

At this Lainey sighed. "Jason refuses to let anyone touch his hair. He won't allow haircuts either."

"Then let him comb it himself!" Edward snapped. "My grandson will not be forced into looking like a vagabond because you refuse to let him do it himself."

The doctors jaw tightened. "I'll see to it that his hair is well maintained," she told him through clenched teeth. "Which brings me to my question for you." Edward fixed a hard glare on her. Lainey ignored it. "Why did you wait months before seeing about your grandson? Why didn't you bring clothes for him before now?"

Edward was seething. "As long as your pockets are being lined with money, you don't question me."

Lainey placed her palms flat on her desk and stood. "Very well. You came, you saw, you reminded me of my regretful choice. Now you may leave." She walked to the door and opened it.

Edward huffed indignantly and straightened his suit jacket. He pulled his coat from the back of the chair and walked to the door. "I trust that you will keep this visit quiet, Dr. Winters." His bushy gray brows rose in question.

She didn't respond but Edward saw the flicker of fear in her eyes. It told him clearly that she didn't want to lose her place as Chief of Staff or her position as a doctor. She valued her career and for that reason alone he knew that she would never tell a soul.

--

Learning the little details about Alex hadn't helped Elizabeth at all. The sparse information sprinkled in with medical records wasn't enough to give her many ideas about who Alex was. Everything that Tabitha had told her was basically what was in the file. Nothing more. Alex was as elusive to her as ever. Not even the injuries that he sustained that prevented him from using his arm were in there. And she still didn't know why he couldn't speak.

Elizabeth placed his file on the nurses station. Jason was still away with doctors and she had nothing to do. Deciding that she would stop by and see her mother and father early, she left the ward and headed for the fourth floor.

As soon as she stepped off the elevator she saw her father. He was standing outside of a room, his face sullen. Elizabeth made her way to him. "Dad?"

He looked up and shook his head. "The cancer has spread."

When Elizabeth was eleven she took a basketball to the gut during a game of street dodge ball.

Seeing the pain in her father's eyes hurt worse than that.

Getting the wind knocked out of her would have been a cake walk compared to the helplessness lacing her father's words. What was worse, is that she felt more guilt than hurt right now. Guilt over not being able to feel the way she expected to given the circumstances. She should be sullen about the potential loss of her mother, the same way her father was. At the moment she just couldn't bring herself to. _Later_. She told herself. After it all sinks in she would feel... _something_. For now she would focus on her father. "I'm so sorry, dad."

Jeff Webber pressed his fingers over his eyes. "She's got another hour or so in her chemo session. Why don't you finish up work and you can leave with us."

"I'll wait here with you," Elizabeth stated.

Her father granted her a ghost of a smile. "You know your mother. She would want you to finish your day." He patted her shoulder. "Go on. We'll all leave together."

Unsure of what else to say or do, Elizabeth turned and walked away. She wandered aimlessly up and down the hospital corridors, lost in thought.

She felt absolutely horrible, not being able to feel pain over her mothers worsening condition. The bitterness she felt over not being able to shed a tear made her ache. This was her mother, she _should_ be hurting over this. But in truth, she never really knew her mother and while she loved her–she was her mother–she was unable to respond the same way she would have had it been her Gram in the same situation.

It wasn't until she heard the dull noise of voices in the cafeteria that Elizabeth's train of thought was broken. She looked at her watch and realized that she had wandered for over an hour. Alex would be waiting on her. Taking a calming breath, and pushing thoughts of her mother out of her mind for now, Elizabeth headed into the cafeteria.

--

Jason was in the cafeteria when he spotted Elizabeth for the first time that day. He had spent the whole morning in sessions with different doctors. There were about three specialists for each ailment he had. Introductions had to be made and outlines had to be looked over. Jason was required to nod his head so much that a headache now pounded his temples.

But at seeing Elizabeth enter the cafeteria, that tension faded. Jason tried to hold fast to his prior upset with her. Every time he thought of how foolish he must have looked giving her that plastic flower he wanted to hit something. Still, that did not stop his heart from speeding up at the sight of Elizabeth. In her lie the key to his past, his interest in her went no further than that.

When she noticed him, a faint smile lit up her face. It colored her pale cheeks in a warm glow that reminded him of a crimson sunset. Sometimes he would catch a glimpse of the sun setting behind the mountain peeks from his muted room window. The sky would burn and simmer like it could melt the snow. Of course, it never did, but the illusion of it was what comforted him. That same illusion that tinted Elizabeth's cheeks now comforted him as well.

She made her way over to him and sat down. "Hi, Alex," she greeted. Her light tone came off as forced. Her eyes met his for a second and skittered away to the window. She rubbed her neck with a pale hand. "I hear that you'll be getting out of here soon. That is great news." She smiled at him again as if asking, _'isn't it?'_.

Jason waved his hand, showing his indifference. He didn't care if he got out or not. If he didn't know who he truly was then what did it matter?

She looked uncomfortable at his reaction and bit down on her bottom lip. Her gaze traveled off into a bleak stare. She was lost in thought. What kind? Jason wondered. He tapped the table with his index finger. That got her attention. She straightened in the chair and looked over to the lunch line. "Are you eating today?"

He shook his head, no. He wasn't hungry. Then inclined his head at her.

"Me?" she asked. "Nah." Again, her gaze flattened.

Something had her attention and it wasn't him. If he could ask her about herself he would. Since he couldn't, he looked away.

"I'm sorry. I'm not good company today," she said apologetically. "I've got a few things on my mind."

Slowly, Jason nodded. He hoped that would encourage her to go on. Maybe if he could get her talking she would reveal something to him that would trigger more memories.

"It's my mom. She's... she's sick. Breast cancer. She came in for tests today and things aren't looking good." Jason noted the way her eyes glassed over. "My mother and I, we were never close. She is a doctor and spent most of her time away from home. When she was around, we barely spoke. She and my father sent me to live with my grandmother when I was fifteen and we didn't keep in close contact. And a few months ago she shows up at my grandmothers house and tells me she's got cancer."

She looked at him, searched his eyes for understanding. Jason hoped that he conveyed it. He went into this conversation hoping to find out more about his past and instead he found out more about hers.

Strangely enough, he didn't mind that.

"Anyway," she sighed. "Long story short; I'm back here in Colorado, spending time with a mother that I'm trying to get to know, all the while knowing that I never will. That she won't make it." She bit her lip as a single tear escaped her eye. Wiping it away she said, "And there you have it."

Jason laid the back of his hand on the table and extended it to her. She hesitated a moment but then placed her palm in his. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, for the first time glad that he couldn't actually speak. He wouldn't know the right words to say in this situation.

Sometimes a simple touch was enough. Sometimes words weren't needed.


End file.
